This invention relates to the field of contraceptive devices and, more particularly, to a birth control device designed to limit sperm production by effecting a temperature increase in the male testes.
It is known that the male scrotum regulates testicular temperature and that an increase in scrotal temperature causes a suppression of spermatogenesis. Clinical findings of these affects are documented in "Effect of Induced Intrascrotal Hyperthermia on Testicular Function in Man", American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, John Rock, M.D. and Derek Robinson, M.D., Volume 93, No. 6, Nov. 15, 1965 and "Intrascrotal Hyperthermia Induced by Scrotal Insulation: Affect on Spermatogenesis", Obstetrics and Gynecology, Volume 29, No. 2, February 1967.
As a result of these findings, attempts have been made to provide a device which increases scrotal temperature and is acceptable to a large number of men. These devices have taken the form of scrotum insulators which are designed to be worn by the man for several hours each day. Insulating materials are used in an article of clothing worn by the man which covers and holds the scrotum against the body of the person in a manner to exclude free circulation of air about the scrotum.
The prior known scrotum insulators must be worn over 14 hours each day in order to affect the necessary increase in scrotum temperature to drop the spermatozoa count to a level considered infertile. Scrotum insulators of this type are known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,518,995 and 4,413,624.
As noted above, these prior scrotum insulators must be worn for extended periods of time in order to be effective. This extended use is often burdensome and uncomfortable for the male user. There is therefore needed a male contraceptive device which increases scrotal temperature to render the user oligospermatic and thus infertile and which requires minimal use each day and achieves sterilization in a short time period. The device should further be comfortable to wear.
The present invention meets these needs by providing a male contraceptive device including a scrotum sack having coupled thereto an electrical heating unit to precisely and controllably increase the intrascrotal temperature. The present invention has the advantage of requiring only minimal daily use in the order of 30 minutes to 2 hours to render a man sterile within a short time period such as 3-7 weeks. Further, by wearing the device for longer periods each day, the user's sperm count can drop to a level considered as sterile in a very short time period.
The present invention has the advantages of allowing sexual activity to occur without interruption. Further, physical and emotional side affects associated with other contraceptive methods are avoided. Also, suppression of spermatogenesis is reversible in that discontinuing use of the device eventually causes the man's sperm count to return to its normal level after a brief rise above the normal level. The device of the present invention further has the advantage of not requiring any chemical methods or techniques which interfere with the act of sex.
It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a contraceptive device which is 100% natural and takes advantage of the natural accessibility of the production of sperm cells in the male testes. In the early stages of the human development, the testes are located inside the abdomen. They later descend into the scrotum outside of the male body, since fertile sperm will not mature properly at normal body temperatures. Each testes is packed with coil-like tubes. The tubes are lined with cells which multiply and develop still further cells. At the mature state of the sperm cells, tails are formed which propel the sperm through the cervix and into the uterus. Spermatic ducts connect the testes to the penis. These ducts loop back into the abdomen and curve around the bladder to enter the penis through the urethra. The sperm are suspended in a seminal fluid just prior to ejaculation. The seminal fluid is manufactured by several glands located at the base of the bladder, the largest gland being the prostrate gland.
Because sperm cells die when at a temperature a few degrees above their controlled environment, the present invention creates an artificial environment from a scrotum sack and electrical heating means to raise the temperature beyond that at which the sperm can survive. This eliminates the possibility of spermatogenesis until the renewal of the next generation of sperm cells. In order to continue infertile, the heating process is again applied to suppress spermatogenesis to the next generation of sperm cells.
It is a further advantage of the invention to provide an electrical heating unit including an electrical control device which may be worn at the user's waist, e.g. like a message beeper. This control device may be battery operated and includes a timer, automatic shutoff switch, low-battery signal indicator, and a warning indicator for any defective elements. The use of the control device allows precise regulation of the scrotum temperature and hours of use. This allows for a more accurate determination of when the user desires to reach an infertile state.
It is yet a further advantage of the present invention to arrange a large number of the heating elements for the scrotum sack at the posterior side of the sack. This allows an increased heat concentration near the human epididymis which is the final and crucial stage of development for the sperm cells, i.e., the stage at which sperm develop their tails necessary for mobility to travel to the ovum for conception.
It is still a further advantage to provide for individually-controllable heating elements associated with each testes. This allows for maximum controllability of the heat distribution.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.